here's dana bash. >> election year 1972. the raging unpopular war in vietnam consumed the bitter campaign battle between president nixon and george mcgovern. suddenly, on october 26th, 12 days before the election, henry kissinger -- >> we believe that peace is at hand. >> it was the first so-called october surprise, a late in the game campaign event with a significant impact on the election. >> re-election for knicnixon, 1. end to vietnam war and this was sort of the definitive statement. >> the most famous october surprise was in 1980 and the surprise was what did not happen. 52 u.s. hostages held in iran were not released before the election despite president carter's efforts. instead, they were freed as soon as ronald reagan was inaugurated, never proving that reagan emissaries back channelled with iran freeing the hostages. >> it fed into the whole dynamic of the 1980 race in a sense that carter was an ineffective president. >> to 1992. president bush was already on the ropes against bill clinton when casper wine berger,